Shockingly Beautiful Photos of Electrified Plants

Flowers have long been a popular subject of artists and photographers, but when so many people have already portrayed the natural beauty of plants in so many different ways, it's hard to create something original with the subjects.

But photographer Robert Buelteman found a way—he created a special apparatus that shocks plants with 80,000 volts of electricity, and then he captures images of the resulting coronal discharge. Of course, even that isn't enough to create these gorgeous images.

After capturing the plants mid-shock, he then uses a fiber optic cable to light paint the images, making them even more stunning. You can learn more about the exacting process by reading this fascinating Wired article.